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Driver in Fatal Fourth of July Crash Receives Suspended Sentence

A New Hampshire man charged with vehicular manslaughter after an accident on the Vineyard last July that killed his son and his son’s girlfriend pleaded guilty to a lesser charge last Friday in Edgartown district court.

In an emotional scene at the courthouse, Thomas C. Jones, 54, pleaded guilty to negligent operation of a motor vehicle in the July 4, 2012 accident that led to the deaths of his son, Seth Jones, and Heather Laflamme. Two counts of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation were dismissed. Judge Bernadette L. Sabra accepted a joint sentencing recommendation of two years in a house of correction, suspended for four years. Mr. Jones was placed on probation for four years as well, until May 24, 2017.

Ms. Laflamme’s parents and grandmother, who live in Berlin, N.H., were in the courtroom, as were several members of the Jones family. Mr. Jones, a resident of Milan, N.H., was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service, not to be charged and convicted with any subsequent offenses, and to pay $500 in fines plus an additional $50 monthly probation services fee. Cape and Islands assistant district attorney Laura Marshard recounted the facts of the case.

On July 4 last year Mr. Jones was driving a 2012 Jeep Wrangler, operated from the right side, on Barnes Road with his wife, Margaret in the passenger seat and Seth Jones and Ms. Laflamme in the back. The Jones family was on a vacation on Martha’s Vineyard.

Mr. Jones pulled the car into a U-turn to turn southbound while a Volkswagen Tiguan driven by Benjamin Johnson, then 19, of Cambridge, was driving northbound. The Volkswagen, later determined to be traveling 68 miles per hour, struck the left side of the Jeep. Seth Jones and Ms. Laflamme were ejected from the vehicle. Ms. Laflamme, 21, died three days later at a Boston hospital from injuries resulting from the crash. Seth Jones, 26, died two weeks later, also from injuries from the crash.

Tom and Margaret were both hurt in the accident, but did not have life-threatening injuries.

Ms. Marshard said that an investigation showed that Mr. Jones was negligent when he crossed northbound traffic, though the speed of the Volkswagen was also a factor in the crash.

Ms. Laflamme’s parents and grandmother, wearing buttons with Heather’s face on them and shirts in her honor, made emotional victim impact statements before the court.

“This is so hard for us to put how we feel onto paper,” said Paulette Laflamme, Ms. Laflamme’s mother. “We still can’t believe we will never get to hug her or hear I-love-yous.”

Mrs. Laflamme, wearing a shirt emblazoned with a picture of Seth and Heather and “We love you — Mom and Dad” written below it, said Jan. 25 would have been Heather’s 22nd birthday, and she would have graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where she was an honor student, last week. She worked at Walmart, her parents said, had a beautiful singing voice and volunteered.

Mr. Jones, the eldest of four brothers, was a Marine who served active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“You killed Heather and Seth,” Mrs. Laflamme said to Mr. Jones in a courtroom where the air was thick with emotion Friday morning. “What you did to us is unforgivable because you never apologized to us,” Mrs. Laflamme said.

“It hurts so much,” Heather’s father Dicky Laflamme said in a tearful statement. “Some days I don’t know if I’m ever going to be okay, because it will never be the same again.”

“Thanks to you, Tom Jones, I will never get to walk my baby girl down the aisle,” he said. “You never apologized to us for killing Heather and as a parent you should have done that. You should have pleaded guilty to all counts and taken it like a man.”

Theresa Pepin, Ms. Laflamme’s grandmother, asked Mr. Jones to look at a picture of Heather and Seth that was on her shirt.

“I see them every day, ma’am,” Mr. Jones responded.

Ms. Marshard read an impact statement from Crystal Laflamme, 24, Heather’s sister. In the statement she recalled getting a call from the Massachusetts state police that her sister had been in an accident, and calling her parents to deliver the news. She said her young daughter asks for her aunt.

“It felt like a bad dream,” read Ms. Marshard, stopping to wipe her eyes with a tissue. “I never would have thought last Christmas when I said goodbye and I love you that it would be the final goodbye. Tom deserves to pay for what he has done. He took away two beautiful lives. He has no remorse for what he has done,” Ms. Laflamme wrote.

“It was a terrible accident and I’m deeply sorry,” Mr. Jones told the court. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I didn’t kill them on purpose . . . that would be insane. I’m not a coward,” he said.

“There’s been a lot of tragedy on all counts,” Judge Sabra said. “Certainly from Heather’s family’s point of view they’ve suffered an insurmountable loss.” She thanked them for coming, and said, “My heart goes out to you for your loss.”

“I can see from the facts that you are not alone in suffering significant loss,” she added. “I’m sure there’s nothing this court could ever do to replace this loss.”

“Mr. Jones really has a life sentence in many regards,” the judge said, adding that he would be haunted by what happened for the rest of his life.

She accepted the plea recommendation “with the hope that at least this part of things can be brought to a conclusion so you can continue on, for everyone, the healing process, the grieving process.”

Following the proceeding, Mr. Jones’s attorney Charles Goddard told the Gazette: “I feel sorry for the Laflammes. But I feel sorry for Mr. Jones, too. He’s going to have to live with the fact that he played a part [in his son’s death] for the rest of his life.”

The Joneses were married across the street from the courthouse at St. Elizabeth’s church, Mrs. Jones said after the hearing, sheltering from the rain under a courthouse awning, and Seth was born on the Vineyard. His 27th birthday would have been next Saturday.

“Everybody lost. We lost our son, and it was an accident,” she said. “It’s tough all around.”

Comments (35)

Donald Ganley, Vineyard Haven

This accident would not have happened if Mr. Johnson had obeyed the speed limit. He would have had time to avoid the collision. Islanders expect that confused visitors will make silly u-turns. We all drive carefully in anticipation of that.
Assigning guilt to Mr. Jones is ridiculous. Speed limit signs are everywhere on the Island. But I'm not sure I've ever seen a No-U-Turn sign on Barnes Road.

I agree with you that Mr. Johnsons speed was definitely a factor, but the accident probably still would have happened but with Heather and Seth surviving the accident. For Mr Johnson to not be charged with anything is appalling. He is obviously a young, inexperienced driver. With that, his speed caused the accident to be much much worse than it could have been.

It is very sad to see people judge a man who did a maneuver that we all did one time or two.
I would like to ask two questions to all the misguided people out there. #1. Did Mr. Jones hit his vehicle to dislodge the kids out of his car? ....I think not!! The driver that was following too close and speeding and struck Mr Jones's vehicle and not able to control his vehicle is the culprit here! NOT Mr Jones..... #2. If your child would run out in the road for a toy ball and a vehicle that was going by too fast could not stop hit and kill your child who would you blame? "THE ONE WHO HIT" your child. A driver is accountable for having control of his vehicle at all times!! Think About THIS!!!...Shame on all to those who accuse an innocent Man. He will be thinking all his life about that day! I would like to send a sincere apology for those selfish people to Mr. Jones "You ARE a Good Man Mr. Jones"!! .... Find Peace in Yourself and Live On!!

I think Mr. Jones is a good man but hold legal responsibility to the collision (not an accident) as he violater the right of way. Yes, Mr. Johnson was going too fast but he had the right of way. It's really that simple.
I know no one in this story and I can only imagine the pain, guilt, & shame that Mr. Jones must be feeling. I only hope that the young lady's family will one day notice that and that one day he will be able to face them and offer his apologies. And that forgive so that all can heal.

This was a terrible accident for everyone involved. It was terrible for the Laflamme's to lose their daughter but you have to remember that Tom lost a son in that accident too! We have all "bent" the rules like speeding a little more than the limit or thinking we have enough time to pull out in front of another car. This time everyone paid a big price for it, but it was an accident! Sorry for everyone's loss in this tragedy.

Were they wearing seat belts? Sounds like they weren't. This is a tragedy that could have been prevented. The only good that can come of this is if someone remembers what happened and takes greater care when they get in their car.

Ken S, you are correct. no one blames the back seat occupants of not wearing their seat belts, which are crucial to prevent either being ejected from a vehicle or from becoming a projectile in an accident. Seat belts do save lives.

how could the Laflamme family say these hurtful things.. this was very tragic.. an accident.The Jones family are a good HARD WORKING family. Tom has this to live with this the rest of his life,I just hope the Jones family, in time can find peace.Nobody knows why such horrible events happen.. this is a devastating lost for both families.Mr. & Mrs.Jones may the memories you hold of your son Seth bring you comfort. our deepest sympathy

Maybe if he showed a little remorse and accepted the blame it would help the situation. If he would have appologized and taken it like a man maybe he wouldn't be seen as such a jerk. He made the bed, lie in it.

How would you know if he was remorseful???? He was, is and most likely always will be!!! Did you go to the hospital to see either family after the accident??? Do you even know either of the families? Most likely the answer to all of the above is...no. Well I do know the Jones family and I DID go to the hospital, I can tell you from first hand knowledge that Tom and the rest of the Jones children were VERY remorseful. Peggy was in the ICU herself and unresponsive or she would have been. Tom kept saying how he was hoping and praying that Heather and Seth both would make it through. He was able to focus on NOTHING else. Even his own recovery. His sons kept running between the two hospitals in care of not only their father, mother and brother, but Heather also. I was with his next to youngest son when he got the news that Heather was in fact not going to make it. He was heart broken and took off running to get to Heathers hospital. So please if you are going to spout off nonsense about nobody being remorseful know the facts rather than what portion of the news is shared. And that of hurt, angry people have to say. I am not minimizing the pain the Laflamme family is in by any stretch of the imagination. But they can not disagree that the Jones family loved Heather she was their sons girlfriend.

What they said was not hurtful, IT WAS FROM THE HEART....It was a terrible miss judgement on Mr. Jones part..everyone suffered in his decision to make an illegal u-turn.. How would your Heart feel if it it was your child or cousin..I bet alot like theirs

I am incredibly disgusted in these posts & in some of the things said in the courtroom from the Laflamme family; it makes me SICK to my stomach. First of all, I understand the Laflamme family lost their daughter - death of any family member hurts so much & they will never have her again. But Tom also lost his son, his first born baby, an incredible young man! Do they think he did this on purpose? Come on! The man has been through SO much.
Secondly, It was an accident! For those of you who do not know what an accident is, here you go straight from the dictionary: ac·ci·dent [ak-si-duhnt] noun 1. an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap: automobile accidents. -- Yes he did an illegal u-turn and it resulted in an accident. But the kid that hit them was driving MORE than 20 miles OVER the speed limit, which is definitely illegal as well! Tom made a mistake and probably didn't see the other kid driving up because he was going SO fast. I personally don't feel like speeding is an "accident"... yes, a mistake on choice. But you don't accidentally speed.
Tom has to live with this for the rest of his life. I'm sorry, but there is no way Seth or Heather will come back to join us on Earth; we will see them again in heaven someday. For them to not forgive Tom for his mistake makes them just as "little of a man" & shows what kind of heart they truly have.
They should forgive him! This world is filled with lots of sin and evil from satan, but we are all sinners & should forgive one another. [Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.]
It was a TERRIBLE tragedy. Of course nothing could ever replace the losses of both of them... and I really don't mean to be blunt or sound heartless but they are not going to be coming back; nothing will change what happened. Why make Tom suffer even more? He has been through enough and has to live with it for the rest of his life! He probably wont be able to forgive himself but he should be forgiven by others.

Not remorseful? Not sorry? Are you serious? Have you been in the presents of Tom other then in the court room? You can feel the pain just pouring off him, see him daze off in thought of Seth. I've shared many tears with the Jones family and Tom about what happened. His sorry every second of every single day. That was his first born child, his baby boy, the most incredible man I have ever met. To say that the pain of loss and living with that everyday is not being sorry then maybe you should take some blame in this too for not preaching to your daughter about always having a seat belt on. Even with a seat belt, we don't have a grantee that we would have Seth here to celebrate is birthday next Saturday. 68 miles per hour, traveling a mile in nearly a minute... Doesn't that seem a bit dangerous to anyone. At 54 years old, so over 40 years of driving experience you don't think Tom, with his beloved wife, incredible son and beautiful Heather in the back thought it was safe to make that turn. If that boy was not driving the speed he was, I would not be posting this right now. I would be calling Seth and telling him to get the hell up and come have some fun with us. Instead of pointing fingers and trying to get something out of the heart wrenching tragedy that happen to the Jones Family and all of us, you should focus on the loved ones you have left and making sure they are getting the attention they need in this healing process. The Jones Family has been through enough, I know Seth would be disgusted right now in what has happened since the "accident". So take it how it is, an accident.

As if none of you have went over the speed limit. As if he meant to play a part in the death of his family. No need to point fingers, it was an accident. Accidents happen every day!! The poor family.. My prayers are with all of you for loss. :(

Dear Crystal,
I am very sorry for your lost. This whole situation is so sad for all involved. I can understand your pain. Only GOD can understand why Mr. Jones did a U-turn and why Mr. Johnson was speeding at the right time or wrong time for these events to take such a tragic turn. I drive by the accident site everyday and think why did it happen. I do not have answer. I can tell you that time will heal the wounds but pain doesn't go away quickly. I found that nature and healthy hobbies can help heal your pain and eventually ease it away. I wish you well with your journey.

All I can say is I can't believe the Laflamme family. Heather And Seth are turning in their graves knowing the ffamilies are split and not grieving together with all this hate and finger pointing. They would never and I mean ever want this for a reaction!!

its a long road and few signs, why not build a turnaround, or at least an area with a map posted so vistors can see where they are like on the cape. and name it after the families.
not everyone comming here thinks straight, maybe we should start.

I knew both of the lives lost in this accident & all I can say is the pain of both these families is unimaginable unless experienced! I couldn't imagine the feelings they have all been left with. My prayers 2 all of them in hopes they can both find common ground 4 the sake of the 2 that can't speak 4 them selves any longer.. Ppl should think what they would want in this situation

A U-turn is only illegal if the area /roadway is mark no u-turns. Read the u-turn chapter and section. If negligence is involved, a suspended sentence in this regard in Massachusetts shows you the life of the deceased is worthless in the eyes of the court. Its a disgrace that any of you could possibly argue to the contrary.

all i can say is that i know where the both families are coming from. i could not forgive the man who killed my brother, the man was drunk.. no charges pressed. As the years went by i knew that in order for me to live a healthy life i had to forgive. so i did. it took me many years.. i only hope that both families can heal. my heart is heavy for both families.

sadness fills the air.. everyone lost something and the pain for both of thses familes is intense. This was a freak accident. As a community and as the family members..all of us should be praying to find comfort for everyone. Tom is doing a life sentence, as are Heather and Seth..Tom has to live with this for the rest of his life. I pray for healing for all.